Weaning

I officially weaned Paige from breastfeeding about 2 weeks ago, and I am now realizing that it has been harder on me than it has on her. For the first 3 or 4 days, I felt awful because she would come up to me and try to lift up my shirt, and I would say "all gone" and then she would start to cry. She had a look on her face like I had just betrayed her. After a week or so, she finally came to terms with it, and she has been fine ever since. But now I'm starting to really miss nursing her. I loved that time we had together when she would lay still and snuggle with me. I feel like it was the one thing that was holding her back from toddlerhood in my mind, and now its hard for me to let go of that baby stage. I can't believe how fast it all went. She is walking and talking-ish, now and its really different. I realize she's only 15 months old, but I just can't believe how much she has changed in the past few months. She is so much fun now though, and I love her more than ever.

This was taken at the hospital when she was 2 days old. I hadn't slept well in days, so don't judge. :)

A few new words

Paige has been saying a lot of new words lately, but I rarely get her to cooperate with the camera. This was the best I could do.
P.S. Let's pretend like my voice isn't super annoying. Thanks.

Fall in Washington

Problem Solved...

Back in September, I blogged about the fact that I couldn't find the motivation to work out regularly. I've always wanted to be super fit (who doesn't?) and I wanted to learn to LOVE exercise. Well, I think I'm getting there. I've been working out 5-6 days a week for the past month or so, and I really enjoy it. I have a membership at Anytime Fitness and I love that place. They have gyms all over the country and I can use any of their gyms at anytime. Its open 24 hours and there are no employees there from 7pm until like 9am or so. I usually go late at night and I'm oftentimes the only one there. I feel like its my own little escape. Its a little creepy being alone, but there are cameras everywhere, so if something bad happens to me, at least its on tape. (insert nervous laughter here) Anyway, I think one thing that has helped me a lot is buying some new workout clothes that I actually like. It sounds shallow, but feeling super frumpy at the gym is very demotivating. So now I'm more excited to get my fun clothes on and get moving. Plus, I oftentimes wear my athletic clothes around the house, so I dont have an excuse when it comes time to work out. I'm already ready to go! I hope I continue to enjoy working out. I'm on a roll here! Plus, I've lost 3 lbs and that is great motivation also. I look almost exactly like the girl in the photo above. Minus the flat tummy and toned arms. Oh, and my butt isn't quite as firm. Neither are my legs. But other than that, we could be twins. Ha ha.

I'm outta here!

IRELAND

MORE IRELAND...

Lately, I feel so disturbed by the crazy things that go on in our world. I try not to keep up on current events because it just makes me sad. I know that sounds ignorant, but I don't care. I hate watching the news because too much of it is depressing. Especially when it has to do with children. Whenever I hear about something awful happening to a child, I feel sick and I think about it for days. It is very traumatizing for me. So I've decided, since they aren't selling real estate on Mars (yet), I'm probably gonna just take my family and head somewhere isolated in Europe or Australia. I was thinking maybe Ireland... in the country. What do you think? Nate says there are terrorists in Ireland. I might need to do some research. Does anyone else feel like they want to protect their child(ren) from the evils of the world? I know I'm talkin' crazy, but that was just on my mind.

At the Pumpkin Patch

Paige and her cousin, Jace. They are 9 months apart.

This is the best time of year!

Tagged!!

My friend Matti from BYU-Hawaii tagged me and I'm glad because I haven't had much to say lately. So here are 7 random facts about me...

1. I accidentally hinted that I wanted to marry Nate only 2 weeks after meeting him. We weren't even dating officially yet. I think it freaked him out a little. I was really embarassed.

2. In high school I seriously ate ice cream every single day. Working at Baskin Robbins didn't help the situation either. Its no surprise that I was about 20 pounds overweight.

3. A couple months before I met Nate in Hawaii, I was living in SLC with my sister and dating a guy that I thought I really liked. One night I was watching the news and all of a sudden a mugshot photo of him came on the screen and the news lady said that he was wanted for attempted murder. Holy crap! I basically started screaming and running around frantically, searching for the phone. I called him and he was like "What are you talking about?" Turns out, there was another guy his age with his same name and they had pulled up the wrong photo. That's a BIG mistake. But that didn't explain why he had a criminal record/mugshot. Turns out he was a crazy liar and I had no idea.

4. I almost got hit by a taxi in New York City when I was crossing the street. I didn't know that normal pedestrian rules don't apply in that city. It was terrifying, and the driver yelled at me. I'm pretty sure I don't belong in big cities.

5. I used to be OBSESSED with Shakira. I drove from SLC to Las Vegas to see her in concert and I have to be honest, it was totally worth it.

6. I want 6-8 children. We'll see if Heavenly Father agrees with that. Ultimately, its His decision.

7. I was a super mean sister growing up. I feel really bad about it. Sorry siblings! Hopefully you will agree that I am nicer now. : )

I tag... Emily A., Melanie C., Stephanie C., Allison M., Cortnie P., Ashley H., and Julie T.

Joy in the Journey

Lately I've found myself complaining far too often about my mom/wife duties. Being a mother is obviously the most difficult job I will ever have in my life. Its exhausting and the work never ends. For some reason, I am always thinking that things will get easier in the future. Like maybe I will just get used to waking up early, doing dishes constantly, and cleaning up after Paige all day long. But somehow, I don't think its going to get easier. I really want a big family, so I will probably be doing these mundane tasks and many more for the next 20 years. (yikes!) So as I have realized lately that my complaining is useless, I've also realized that I have so much to be thankful for. In general conference, President Monson talked about living in the moment. He said:

"I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

I have always had a problem with constantly looking to the future...

"I will be so happy when I'm in college!"

"I will be so happy when Nate and I are done with school!"

"I will be so happy when I finally get pregnant!"

"I will be so happy when we have our own home!"

"I will be so happy when I finally take over the world!!"

And the list goes on and on...

I am challenging myself to remember everyday to enjoy my life... right now. Who cares if I have tons of laundry to put away? Who cares if the living room always looks like a play room?

And who cares if there are sticky fingerprints on every surface of my house? That stuff can wait. My responsibilities as a mother are too important for me to let those other things get in the way.

As difficult as motherhood is, it is also such a wonderful blessing. Paige brings so much joy to my life. I can't wait to have more children and fill my house with sticky fingerprints! :)

Healthy Recipes

So... lately I have been really trying to become a more health-conscious person. I've always done my best not to keep junk food in our home (because it will be consumed in 24 hours or less... by me), but I need to do more. I want to start cooking healthier meals. Do you have any healthy (low-fat or low-carb, etc) entree recipes that you like? I would love some ideas!!

Halloween Preview

My mom found this rooster costume on sale at Old Navy. I think Paige looks adorable! And hilarious.